In this episode of In Search of Soil, we’ll be learning information about biochar straight from a biochar expert, Kelpie Wilson.

There are as many soil amendments out there as there is soil. Some of them are well-known and widely accepted, while others are a little bit more controversial because of the amount and quality of information readily available.

One such amendment is biochar. With the amount of contradicting information available about biochar, it’s understandable to have some confusion about what it is, how it’s used, and whether or not it’s actually good for the soil.

More on Kelpie: https://wilsonbiochar.com/

 

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In this episode of In Search of Soil 

• Introducing today’s guest, Kelpie Wilson (01:06)
• Kelpie Wilson before she took interest in biochar (02:00)
• The “aha” moment to explore biochar (03:05)
  • The virtuous cycle of carbon sequestration (04:55)
• Kelpie’s thoughts on what media says about biochar (06:24)
  • International Biochar Initiative
• How the current biochar studies are getting better (09:23)
  • Sombroek, terra preta, and plaggen soils (11:32)
  • Iowa soil’s carbon is from past prairie fires (13:13)
• The scientific knowns based on biochar research (13:49)
  • Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) (16:43)
  • Microbial life and microbial diversity (19:17)
• Stories about biochar changing agricultural soils (19:31)
  • Labile carbon, oily carbon, and ash (21:55)
  • Put the biochar in the compost first (23:37)
  • Designing and building kilns (24:26)
  • The cascade of biochar in animal production (24:57)
• The fractionality of the optimum biochar (25:42)
  • Misconceptions about pyrolysis (27:34)
  • High-temperature and low-temperature char (27:56)
• Concerns with burning char at higher temperatures (31:28)
• Controlling the high temperatures in kilns (33:52)
• The difference between chars made of pine and chars made of black locust (34:31)
• Conserving minerals from the char instead of repurchasing (37:00)
• Quenching biochar and rinsing off the ash from the biochar (39:02)
• What to look for when purchasing commercially available biochar (41:21)
  • Biochars and activated carbon (43:12)
• Starting on biochar for beginners (44:10)
  • Small brushes are the key (46:38)
• The significance of burning from the top down (47:49)
• Where it is that people make mistakes when it comes to making biochar (49:13)
• The characteristics of a perfect burn (50:50)
• Kelpie's thoughts on particle size post-burning (52:28)
• The goldilocks dosage of applying biochar (54:03)
• Closing remarks and where to learn more about Kelpie Wilson and biochar (55:43)